


Angel egg

by myotishia



Series: In the rift [14]
Category: Torchwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-26 17:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18721528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia
Summary: The water can be terrifying, but usually it's what's under it that's the truly dangerous thing.





	1. Just keep swimming

It had been quite some time since Tosh had gone swimming. She even had to buy a new bathing suit as she had no idea where her old one had gone. As it was before work hours, and before waking hours for most people, the pool was empty. That had been the plan when she’d dragged Elise along.

Tosh slipped into the water and waved Ely over to the shallow end. Elise shook as she looked down at the pool. It didn’t help that it was the first time she’d shown the indent scar on her leg since the bullet hole had healed. She hadn’t thought she’d feel so self conscious about it but looking at the water seemed to dig up every tiny issue in her head.

“You can’t stay so scared of the water forever. I promise we’ll go slowly, ok?” Tosh smiled, offering her hands to help Elise in. It was true. With all of the water surrounding the hub it could be dangerous for Elise to freeze up if anything happened.

Elise took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of the pool, dipping her feet into the water. “It’s shallow, it’s fine. I’m ok.” She breathed to herself before sliding down, a wave of relief washing over her as her feet touched the bottom. She held Toshiko’s hands tightly.

“See? There’s nothing to be frightened of.”

“Logically I know that but my stupid lizard brain keeps screaming.” She took a few slow steps forward, pulled by her partner.

“How did you learn to swim if you’re so scared?”

“I learnt to swim before… Before I got like I am now. We had a good teacher in nursery.”

“Then you just need to think about that, if you remember it.”  

“It’s a fuzzy memory.”

“Just close your eyes and float for a while.”

Elise shook her head. “Not a chance. I’m staying fully aware at all times.”

“Well, you have to try something.”

“Tosh, darling, sweetpea, you managed to get me to willingly step into a swimming pool. That’s huge. I’d usually be hugging the bloody wall.”

 

Ianto grabbed his third donut of the morning, trying to eat away his nerves for the coming afternoon. It was his sisters birthday and she had insisted that he at least drop by the party for a few minutes. Jack had even offered to give him an excuse not to go so he could arrange a time when her husband and her friends weren’t around. He couldn’t avoid them forever but he wished he could. The computer he had in the tourist information centre looked old and bulky, but hid the same technology that the computers below used. The usual morning messages popped up on his screen. He could usually tell what kind of day it would be by how many messages he had to go through. Twenty two. It was going to be a bad day.

 

Owen and Jack both stared up at what seemed to be a giant egg, or round cocoon, filling a small room inside a retail unit. There were no signs of how it got in as the doors had been locked and were completely undamaged. It had only been found when a possible renter wanted to view the space before committing.

The egg was a yellowish green and soft, made of a thick membrane. It was held up by a mix of solid root like protrusions and fibrous ropes that stuck to the walls and ceiling. The egg itself was warm and hid the heat signature of what was inside. Nothing had moved inside yet or gotten close enough to the outer shell to be visible. Everywhere it touched in the room had a thin layer of what looked like moss but could have been some kind of mould upon first inspection.

“Ever seen anything like this before?” Asked Owen.

Jack shook his head. “This is a new one for me.”

“Always a good sign.” Owen rested a gloved hand on the surface of the egg, feeling very slight movement. “Something’s moving in there.”

“I seriously hope it isn’t a t-rex. I don’t think Myfanwy’s going to want a roommate.”

“As far as I know t-rex’s had solid eggs, but I’m not an expert on dinosaurs.” Owen shrugged and moved the scanner over the membrane, looking for what was living in there. It looked a lot like a human fetus but it had multiple protrusions extending from its spine like sets of wings. Each wing had an eye developing at the second joint. Its skull looked slightly longer than a humans and wasn’t made up of three plates like a humans would be.

“Let’s hope it stays this small. Going on the size of the egg we might have to remove a wall to get it out.”

“I just feel sorry for the mum.”

 

Elise tied her hair up in a bun before grabbing her bag. She honestly felt kind of bad that she hadn’t reached water any deeper than her shoulders. Tosh was trying so hard to help but that kind of fear didn’t go away overnight.

Toshiko took her hand. “It’s ok. You tried, and that’s all I ask.”

“Thanks… We can try again another day, yea?”

“Yea. We’d better get to work.”

Elise nodded and turned watching a woman walking out with her friends. Something didn’t seem quite right about her.

“What’s wrong?” Toshiko asked. “I know work can be stressful but it doesn’t usually bother you this much.”

Elise leaned in and spoke softly as not to be overheard. “That woman. Does something look… Odd about her?”

She looked carefully but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “No. Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yea. The chlorine must be messing with my eyes.”

They followed the group out as they were heading the same direction. The group of young women were laughing and joking, having just come away from their morning gym visit. The lady who Elise had been watching walked out into the road just as a car came skidding around the corner at top speed, hitting her head on and sending her sprawling across the tarmac. He body lay limply in the road as the car just kept going. A short silence was followed by a soul crushing shriek from the group as what had just happened sunk in. The woman was dead, her neck clearly snapped and her eyes wide.

 

Gwen logged into her computer as she did every morning. The hub was so quiet. Even Myfanwy was having a lie in. She hoped it would be a quiet day and everyone could just relax a little. With the weevil sightings becoming rarer and rarer quiet days were a more common occurrence.

“Morning.” Said Ianto, a bundle of paperwork under his arm.

“Morning. Is everyone out?”

“Yep. Jack and Owen are checking out what may or may not be a giant egg and Tosh and Elise have gone swimming, though they should have been here by now.”

“Probably caught up in traffic, I thought Elise was scared of the water.”

“She is. They’re trying to work through it. I can’t see it going well if I’m honest.”

“It’s worth a try. Oh, speak of the devil.” She turned to see Elise and Tosh walk in. They both looked a little haunted. “Didn’t it go well?”

“Swimming went … Ok. But, this woman got hit by a car as we were leaving.” Elise explained, keeping a hand on Toshiko’s shoulder. “I even tried to time jump back to maybe stop it but it wouldn’t let me.”

“Are you both going to be ok?”

Tosh nodded. “Just in shock I think. It happened so fast.”

“It was pretty horrific.” Elise said softly, trying to process it for herself.

“Wasn’t she the one you said looked a bit odd?”

“Yea. I’m sure it was just a coincidence though.”

 

The creature inside the egg had already grown a little, it’s fingers had lost the webbing between them and it had gained a very clear heartbeat. They had no record of any being like this and there was no sign of a parent. It wasn’t even possible to move the egg due to its size and the way it had practically glued itself to the walls. It was a risky situation. On the one hand it was a potentially dangerous alien creature, but on the other it was a baby. It had never done anything to anyone. Even the nesting site had been empty before the egg was left there. All tests indicated that nothing in or around the egg was toxic.  The moss, that they had confirmed really was moss, had started sprouting flowers.

“What should we do with it then? We can’t get it out of here and we can’t just leave it.” Owen grumbled, dreading the idea of having to babysit this thing. No matter how interesting the egg was he didn’t want to be metaphorically chained to it.

“We can monitor it remotely, though you’ll have to be on call just in case it hatches.”

“Jack. When am I ever not on call?”

 

Elise sat herself next to Ianto.

“Something wrong?” He asked.

“I just can’t concentrate on anything. Something was just bugging me about earlier and my brain just can’t let it go.”

“Because you couldn’t time jump?”

“No… Well, yes, but not just that. The more I think about it the more I’m sure I saw something.”

“Are you sure it isn’t just the shock connecting things wrongly in your memory.”

“I considered it but it doesn’t feel right. I looked up the cctv from the reception and…”

“What?”

“I don’t know if it’s just a camera glitch or dust on the lens or what but… Just look.” She handed over her phone with a still from the footage. The group of women were mid step, frozen in time, but one looked different. Her face seemed blurry even though the rest of the group were crystal clear, and some kind of shadow loomed over her. “It’s only for a few frames but I swear I saw something off about her and the more I think about it the more I feel like it was her face. It was out of focus.”

“If the camera picked it up then we should probably look into it. Have you sent it over to Tosh?”

“No. She was so shaken by it I didn’t want to rub salt in the wound. I couldn’t bring myself to look at the footage from outside. With all the things I’ve seen now it shouldn’t bother me but it really does.”

“Of course it still bothers you. Seeing someone die isn’t easy no matter how many times you’ve witnessed it. You wouldn’t be human if it didn’t. Let me take a look at it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Watching a recording is very different to watching in person. I’ll be fine.”

She sent him a link to where the footage was being kept and decided to just look at something else on her phone while he watched it. He could see where the group walked out and slowed it down as the car entered the side of the frame. At the last moment before she stepped in front of the vehicle the shadow reappeared, pushing her from the back of her head before vanishing only three frames later.

“Something pushed her.” He said softly.

She looked up from her phone, unsure if she felt better or worse that she really had seen something. “How would you even track something like that?”

“With difficulty.”

“Helpful.” She smiled sadly.

“Sorry. Just start how we usually do and work out the details later. For a while we thought that you might be able to become invisible before you showed yourself.”

“Really?”

“Yea. Everyone started getting really paranoid, especially Owen.”

“Why?”

“Future Owen was using his bank account. He changed his pin number six times.”

 

Jack locked up, ready to leave when he got a call. On the other end was a female voice he recognised.

“Lilith? Are you ok?”

Owen watched the expression on Jacks face carefully, trying to read the situation.

Liliths voice seemed pained and rather faint.

“I’m on my way, just hold on.” Jack said, pointing to the SUV. Owen knew what that meant, whoever was on the other end of that call was in serious trouble.

After a very fast drive Jack ran into the home, finding his friend on the living room floor, a large gash on her forehead. She was conscious but dazed.

“Jack?... Fell down… Stairs… Glass table… Can’t hold form…” She breathed.

“It’s ok. I thought someone attacked you.” He watched as her form shifted, a pair of curled horns decorating her head and a tail flicking weakly on the floor.

“Not if… They wished to live… Who’s the worried one?”

Jack smiled. “That’s Owen. He’s our doctor.”

“Ah, it’s been a long time since I’ve needed… such a thing.”

Owen was busy assessing her and not paying a single bit of attention to the conversation.

“Can you feel all of your limbs?” Asked Jack, calming a little.

“I can. In fact … I can very much feel my right leg.”

“That’s because it’s broken.” Said Owen, not softening the news one bit.

Lilith laughed softly, trying not to move too much. “Blunt isn’t he?”

“He’s like that with everyone.” Jack said softly. “We keep him for his medical skills, not his bedside manner.”

“I swear someone pushed me down those stairs… But I’m here alone.”

“I’ll walk through the place and make sure once you’re out of the woods.”

Owen looked between them. “I’ve got some good news and bad news. Good news is you haven’t got a concussion or any damage to your spine. Bad news we’re going to have to set that leg.”

“I do hope you’re better than the last Torchwood doctor I met… I can assure you I feel pain.” Lilith cringed at the memory.

“What kind of shitty doctor was that?”

“This was fifty years ago.”

“Still.”

“Can I keep you?”

Owen blinked, not understanding her meaning until he looked up. She was very much making bedroom eyes at him.

Jack rolled his eyes. “Hands off. He already has two women claiming ownership.”

“Damn it. Fine, just please be gentle with me. Crawling in here was agony.”

 

Gwen had looked over the dead woman's social media and the contents of both her phone and her PC without any hint of what had killed her. It had seemingly been random and that was so much worse than it seemed. With beings they couldn’t see, finding a pattern in its actions was important. Then again it was hard to track its actions when it made them look like accidents. She’d been so engrossed in what she’s been reading she hadn’t noticed the popup in the corner of her screen. A hand waved in front of her face snapped her back to reality.

“Sorry. What?” She spluttered.

“Something just hopped through the rift. No idea what but it doesn’t look big.” Said Elise as she pulled on her coat.

“Any other clues?”

“Nope. It’s in a field so it’s not like we have footage.”

 

The field had been flooded days before and it didn’t look as if it was cared for before that point so traversing would be a pain. In the centre stood what looked to be a horse. It was a large breed and its fur looked black and silky. From where it was standing the water can’t have been particularly deep.

Gwen tried to beckon the horse over. “I wonder if it’s stuck.”

“It shouldn’t be if this field is basically level. Let’s have a look around, maybe we can find a farmer.”

“That or we got a horse through the rift.”

“What’s the protocol for that? Time travelling animals.”

“Honestly, it’s never come up before.” Gwen saw the horse slowly making its way over. The creatures hooves sending ripples across the surface of the dark water. “We could just grab it.”

“Shallow or otherwise I am not walking into that water unless I can see the bottom.”

Gwen sighed and rolled her eyes before talking a few steps into what seemed like a very large puddle. The horse plodded over to her, neighing and huffing, unsure of the new person in front of it.

“It’s ok. Come on, let’s get you to dry land eh?” She cood at the animal. Her feet seemed to be sinking a little deeper, filling her boots with cold water. She shuddered at the feeling and the knowledge that they would be a real pain to dry. The horse was just out of reach and she took a few more steps. Its mane was cold and wet to the touch as she petted it gently. The hairs seemed to tangle around her wrist and pulled tight. She didn’t even have a chance to scream before she was pulled under by the creature.

Elise heard the splash and saw both Gwen and the horse disappear into the flood. Neither resurfaced.  Her heart pounded and she felt light headed knowing there was no one else around to help. She threw off her coat and stepped into the shallows, looking for movement under the water but it looked pitch black. It was like looking into the void and she felt like she was going to throw up or pass out. Gwen was under there, drowning and she was just standing there. She took a deep breath before diving into the water where she remembered the horse standing. The field gave way to a deep pit that had filled with water, as if the ground had just disappeared and had been replaced. She couldn’t see but she could feel movement ahead.

Gwen tried not to open her mouth when she felt something else grab her arm. The hairs of the horses mane dug into her skin, but it didn’t hurt as much as her chest as she desperately tried to hold her breath.

Elise held her knife in her shaking hand, hearing only her own heartbeat racing through her ears. She felt the leather of Gwens jacket and followed her arm down to the slick hairs that bound her. The horse still moved deeper into the seemingly endless depths, thrashing as it felt a second hand and a sudden tug at its mane. Elise violently cut away at the strands of its mane, freeing Gwen. The horse turned and slammed into Elise, knocking the air from her in a rush of bubbles that followed Gwen up to the surface.

The woman took a desperate breath and wrenched the leftover fibres from her wrist, expecting Elise to surface beside her at any moment but she didn’t. Every muscle in Gwens body screamed from the cold and the oxygen deprivation but she dove back down.

Elise had stabbed the blade into the horses side three times and it took the hint to get away from her but there was no way she’d surface in time to stop her body from making her breathe in the filthy water. This was how she died, cold and alone in the water, just how she thought she would. She would try and space jump but she didn’t even know which way was up any more. She opened her eyes to at least try and see the light from above but only found a set of empty eye sockets staring back at her.

 

Gwen swore the water had gotten even colder, as if when she reemerged there would be a layer of ice up there. Elise had been right below her so she just needed to head straight down, or at least she hoped so with visibility being non existent. Finally her hand brushed something. She grabbed onto it. It was human shaped and there was still a warmth to it. She held on and swam as fast as she could to the surface. Elise was held firmly against her as she pulled her to the side but she was unresponsive. Gwens feet slid in the mud as she dragged her colleagues body onto dryish land.

“Come on sweetheart. Breathe.” Gwen begged as she started compression's to try and kick start Elises body into trying to breathe. “Come on! Tosh’ll kill me if I let you die and Owen will definitely never forgive me. Please breathe.”

Elise coughed suddenly and rolled on her side, expelling the water she’d ingested. She’d still had the folding blade clutched tightly in her right hand but dropped it as she gasped for air. As soon as she opened her eyes and saw she was even close to the water she scrambled back, fingers digging into the mud.

“It’s ok, it’s ok, just breathe.” Gwen tried to calm her but it was as if Elise was seeing something she didn’t. “Elise. Just look at me.” When she got Elises attention she realised that her eyes were completely black. “Oh my god… Ok, we need to get you to a hospital.”

Gwen realised the ridiculousness of her statement the moment the words left her mouth. Due to Elises abilities she couldn’t be taken to a hospital. Gwen grabbed the knife and Elises coat before leading the woman to the car. They’d have to go back to the hub and hope for the best.

 

Owen had just stepped back into the hub after setting and immobilising Liliths leg, sitting down and relaxing after the busy morning.

“So how was your morning?” He asked Tosh.

“Swimming went ok I suppose. Something small popped through the rift so Gwen and Elise went to check it out. I haven’t heard anything from them for a while though. Yours?”

“Looked at a giant egg with a weird winged baby inside then had to set a succubus’s broken leg. So average?”

“Are you serious?”

“Completely. You couldn’t make this shit up.” He grinned.

Ianto rushed in with Elise in his arms, Gwen following close behind looking like drowned rat.

“Owen!” He called, not waiting for a reply.

Owen was already half out of his chair. “What the fuck happened?!”

Gwen was lent against the wall, catching her breath. “We were pulled under water… She coughed up the water but she… She’s been like this since.”

Elise wasn’t letting Ianto go as he put her down, she was pale, shivering. Owen knew this wasn’t just a panic attack. “Elise? Darling?”

She turned and looked at him with wide, black, eyes. He had to stop himself jumping back.

Ianto had managed to her her to loosen her grip on him and he held her cold, shaking, hands.

“Can you see me?” The doctor asked, almost sure she must be blind.

She nodded.

“What are you seeing?”

For the first time since being dragged out of the water she spoke. “Death… It won’t go… I’m awake and it won’t go. I don’t want to die.” Tears poured down her face before she fell into a fit of coughing.

“Where?” Asked Jack, rushing in.

“Is this really the fucking time Jack?!” Growled Owen.

Elise raised a shaking hand, pointing in front of her. “It wants what I took from it… No!” She screamed and lunged for the unseen being, grabbing something in midair. A skeletal hand hung in the open space, only inches from Owens face, stopped only by Elises desperate grip. She was lifted up as the being tried to throw her off. As if a switch was flicked, the darkness drained from Elises eyes and the thing faded, leaving her sprawling across the floor.

 

The death like figure was gone. Unsure if the incident of the woman pushed in front of the car was connected to this event Ianto handed over the footage and explained what he’d been shown. It was a possibility and if what Elise had said was true then it could have been trying to reclaim lives it had decided had been stolen from it.

“Was that what came through the rift?” Asked Tosh, looking over at Gwen who was looking much more human now she’d warmed up.

“No. I think it was the horse that pulled me under.”

“Horse?”

“It looked like a horse but its mane tangled around my wrist and pulled me down into the water.”

Ianto raised an eyebrow. “A Ceffyl Dŵr?”

“A what?”

“Like a kelpie. They attack lone travellers, can shape shift, but they're said to be fearsome looking.”

“Maybe, it would fit what we saw. I’m not sure what happened to it. Elise cut me free but she didn’t swim up right away so I swam down to grab her. She was unconscious.”

“It didn’t pull her in?”

“No, she dived in after me. If she hadn’t I would have drowned. Do we have anything on a being that looks like death?”

“Only historical accounts from around the time of the black death. I can look deeper into it.”

Jack nodded. It was odd for him to be so quiet.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“When you pulled Elise out of the water she wasn’t breathing was she?” The captain asked, not looking over.

“No… She’d breathed in a lot of water.”

“Did she have a pulse?”

“I think so. It happened so fast. Why?”

“One of future Owens letters mentioned what happened just after he died… This death being sounds like what he faced. Only problem is you need an immortal to defeat it. Not my kind of immortal, more undead. Problem is we don’t have anyone like that.”

“Why?”

“Its touch is lethal.”

“But we all saw Elise grab that things arm so it can’t be the same thing.”

“Maybe. How many walking or floating skeletons can there be? It feels too similar.”

“You should ask Elise what she thinks once she’s calmed down.” Ianto suggested. “She’s the only one who’s seen the whole thing.”

“As long as she’s up to it.”

Gwen sighed. “I’ve never seen her look like that before.”

“Existential dread will do that to you.”

 

Owen sat next to an exhausted Elise. She was fighting off sleep and though she was bundled up she was still shivering. Physically she was going to be just fine, her lungs having done an excellent job of expelling everything she’d breathed in, and her eyes showing no damage from what had happened to them.

He stood to intercept Jack as he walked in. “Anything I can help with?”

“How is she?” Jack asked softly.

“Exhausted, scared and bruised but alive.”

“Think she’s up to talking?”

“I doubt you’ll be able to get that much from her, she’s barely here right now. I’d keep things light if you have to ask her anything.”

“Alright. Mind checking on the egg?”

“Yes, but I’ll do it anyway.” Owen patted Jack on the shoulder as he left, trusting that he wouldn’t stress Elise out too much.

Jack sat where Owen had been moments before. “How’re you feeling?”

Elise tilted her head, looking as if she felt it was too heavy to lift. “I think I got headbutted by an underwater horse.”

“Possible.”

“I was hoping you’d tell me I was delusional.” She slurred slightly.

“Maybe if Gwen hadn’t seen it too… Do you remember what happened to your eyes?”

“Sort of. Everyone glowed and you were… blinding. That thing was so… So clear.”

“Do you know what it was?”

Her eyes were completely unfocused and she was visibly shivering. “Death… I assume anyway… It used to float in my dreams… So cold.” She tried to pull the coat she was covered with closer around her. “When I grabbed it. I think it took something. I should be warm by now.”

“If it’s the same thing future Owen left a note about then it should have killed you.”

“I’m not dead am I?”

He laughed softly. “No, you’re not dead. I think Owen would’ve noticed. You’re exhausted, that’s all. Just need to rest.”

“Every time I close my eyes I see its face. It’s too close… If I go to sleep it’ll have chance to get through again… Owen thinks I’m paranoid… But…” She paused as her eyes were closing before jolting back awake.

“You can’t stay awake forever. We’ll deal with it.”

“You can’t even see it… How would you stop it?”

“It isn’t the first invisible creature we’ve dealt with.” It wasn’t a lie but he had no idea how to approach stopping the thing. It would be back, that was inevitable, but he’d hoped he’d have more time.

“I don’t think it’s the thing that killed that woman.”

“Me either. But you don’t need to worry about that.”

“I get it. I brought that thing here.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t have to worry because I fucked up.”

He shook his head and took her hand. “I’m not firing you. I’m telling you to recover... Your fingers are freezing.”

“Told you so… You’re warm... Why can I feel that when I can’t feel the temperature of anything else?”

Jack shrugged as she shifted to lean on his arm, some of the colour returning to her skin. Tosh peeked around the door. “Am I interrupting?”

“No. I’m just holding up this ice cube.” He smiled. “What’s up?”

She trotted over with something clutched in her hands. “I’ve been working on upgrading one of the containment fields and I think it might be helpful right now.”

“Yea?”

“It has a time lock now and doesn’t use any more power than it used to.” She beamed.

“Nice work. By that look I guess that’s not all though.”

“Nope. I may have fixed out invisible creature problem.” Opened her hands to show a lense set to a clip to hold it in place. “It gives you the ability to see wavelengths usually completely invisible to the human eye. It still has the issue with giving you a headache if you wear it too long but I think that’s because it’s hard to process brand new colours. It even works on reflections.”

“That’s… Incredible.”

“She’s the best.” Elise said softly, a slight smile creeping onto her face.

Tosh rested a hand on the bundle of fabric that was her girlfriend. “I thought you were trying to sleep.”

“Can’t sleep. Death will eat you.”

Tosh gave Jack a very concerned look.

“Think you can make a few more of both of those?” He asked, keeping his calm air.

She nodded. “I’ve got everything saved so you can keep those if you like.”

“Thanks. I’ll be up as soon as this one’s asleep.”

“Have a nice nap.” She smiled softly before reluctantly leaving.

Elise looked up with heavy eyes. “Are you going to try and trap it?”

“Not getting telepathy now, are you?”

“Like you said, I can’t stay awake forever.”

  
  



	2. Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes it's better to not see what's right in front of you.

Jack fixed the lens in place and switched it on. Holding his hand in front of him it seemed to glow bright gold, wisps of energy rising from his skin. He looked back at Elise and could clearly tell that she was resting on her right hand as it gave off its own energy, though hers was black and pulled the light from around it. The rest of her exuded a dim blue glow that he assumed was basic human life energy. He could tell where everyone else was even through the walls with the much brighter blue figures he could see, even through the walls. The wires from the computer system glowed a light green, spreading out like a web through the building. Tosh had done some amazing work. He considered buying something for her once this was over. 

Elise was still fighting sleep, though it was very much a losing battle. 

“Elise?”

“Mm?”

“Look here.” He held his hand just above her head. She tried to move her eyes up but it just caused them to close. It was a simple but effective trick that worked on people fighting sedation too. Elises breathing levelled out, definitely asleep. The lens showed a large shadow rise from her, confirming his suspicion that it had been trying to use her like a portal. It took shape, a hollow skull forming and bleaching white. He took a few steps back, needing to get it into the open. Death hissed at him and circled in the air around him, faster than it had been last time. It had freed itself, at least temporarily. 

“You need a couple of lives? I think I’ve got a few to spare.” Jack said, trying to keep the creatures attention. It took the bait and dived towards him as he dropped the pebble sized containment field generator. Death froze, locked in place as time stopped around it. 

 

Owen walked around the field, studying the creature. “Jack.”

“Yes?”

“What happens when this thing runs out of power?” It wasn’t a real question, more pointing out the fault with this idea.  

“We just need to work something out before that happens. It was this or let that thing run free.”

“Easier said than done.”

Ianto carried a box in under his arm. “If you don’t mind I have an idea.”

“Go for it.” Jack smiled.

“Well, I assume that if one of these puzzle boxes could hold a fairy then it might be able to hold … This.” He took the opened puzzle box out of its storage container and held it up. “Tosh said it possibly contained a tesseract that it used to stop the fairy finding the way out.”

“It’s not a bad idea but we don’t know how it activates.”

“No, but going on how it was solved we can take a good guess.”

“Sorry, I was busy when it was solved. How?”

Owen smirked. “Don’t tell me you’re going to start singing.”

Ianto took his PDA from his pocket and held it up after placing the box on the floor next to the containment field. A sharp digital sound emanated from the device: F#, G#, B, C#, F#, B, D, E, F#, C#.

The moment the last note played the puzzle box began to rattle and twist itself into impossible shapes. The parts separated and swirled around the skeletal figure, closing in upon it, completely ignoring the containment field and pulling itself together, trapping the entity inside. The box returned to its cube form and landed with a soft click on the floor. 

“I can’t believe that just worked.” Owen stared at the cube, one hand on Elise’s shoulder, having moved to shield her just in case that thing had gotten loose. “At least we only have the egg to deal with now.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble but this wasn’t what pushed that woman in front of a car. Plus we’ve got a water horse’s death to confirm.” Jack said, picking up the box and placing it back safely in its container.

“Well, I can’t go anywhere unless it’s an emergency. Ely might be alive but her core temperature was a bit low. Can’t leave until that’s back to normal. If it drops I’ve got to put an IV line in and she gets fussy.” 

A small voice came from under the bundle of coats. “Do not.”

“Shhhh. No sleep talking.”

Jack smiled as he was leaving. “Actually you’ll have to stay anyway, just in case the egg starts hatching.” 

 

Ianto looked a the clock and sighed to himself, he had to decide if her was going to see his sister or make an excuse. He had the perfect one as the water horse issue could use the extra hands. 

“Go.” Said Jack. “You’ve been thinking on it all day and haven’t found one good reason not to, so go.”

“But what about the -”

“The area’s been quarantined and the machinery to pump that much water away won’t be available until tomorrow. Contrary to popular belief I can make my own phone calls when I need to.”

“I never said you couldn’t.”

“If you leave now you’ll be able to get it over with before it gets too busy.”

“You could… Always come with me.”

“You don’t want that.”

“What if I do?” 

“Stop stalling.”

“I’m serious. What if I want you to come with me? Would that be so bad?” 

Jack froze, he really was serious and wanted an answer. “Honestly?”

“Forget it!” He shook his head and turned to walk away before he was pulled back by his wrist.

“Ianto, I’m not avoiding this because I think it’ll be a disaster. I’m avoiding this because in the future there’ll be too many questions.”

“I can field any questions.”

“All of them? Because family asks these things. When’s your birthday, where did you grow up, where do you live, how did you meet, and they remember all those things. When you’re creating a false life you keep things vague and nebulous but families never accept that. They always want details. I’ve made that mistake before and it doesn’t make problems for me, it makes problems for you.”

“Fine.” He looked disappointed.

Jack rolled his eyes. “But, I guess I could pick you up later so they know I exist.”

“Thank you.” Ianto tried to hide his smile, feeling a little more at ease with the day. Maybe it wouldn’t be a completely awful day after all.

 

Rhiannon loved her brother, she really did, but sometimes she thought that he was a bit easily manipulated. His soft heart was the best and worst thing about him. She’d expected him to send a very apologetic text saying he couldn’t be there because of some nonsense at work. She guessed it was more to do with this boyfriend of his that he’d fallen so hard for. He’d move heaven and earth for the ones he loved. Still nothing. She batted one of the silly balloons across the table, bouncing off the back of a chair. 

“I expected more people than this.” Ianto said, looking around the room.

“Ianto! I didn’t expect you to actually turn up.” She shot up and gave him a hug. “I got here early to help set up.”

“What about your other half?”

“He’s taking the kids to their babysitter. You know he doesn’t mean anything by his little jabs.”

Ianto resisted saying anything, it would only end badly. 

“On your own?”

“Jack’s going to pick me up later.”

She smiled. “Oooh we might get a look at this elusive Jack.”

“Please don’t start.”

“I’m just saying, I was starting to wonder if he really existed.”

“I’m a grown man, I’m not going to make up an imaginary boyfriend.”

“Usually I would have met him by now, that’s all. Anyway, being as you’re always there, how’s work?”

He shrugged. “Average.”

“Average?”

“Yes.”

“Descriptive. Come on, I’ll buy you a drink. Maybe then you’ll actually talk.”

 

Elise had warmed up finally so she could go home. She still wasn’t particularly steady on her feet but she was stable enough to get to the car where she promptly fell back to sleep. Gwen had been glad she hadn’t swallowed any of the water, knowing how many blood tests she would have had to have afterwards. Elise never seemed bothered by them, but Gwen was not a fan and neither were her veins. She crossed her fingers that this egg wouldn’t hatch over night or this invisible thing make its presence known. Had the trees always been this overgrown? Gwen could swear they were cut back on the drive to work that morning. They can’t have been. Her time in the water must have taken more out of her than she thought. 

 

Ianto had relaxed a little, he still wasn’t comfortable but it was early in the night so no one was drunk yet. One of the women had been toting around a camera and looked just as out of place as he did. 

“It’s going to get busy by the end of the night.” She said, taking the strap of the camera from around her neck. “At least the photos are coming out well.” She flicked through the saved photos, reviewing them on the small screen. She stopped at one she’d just taken outside and frowned. “What is that?”

He peeked over and his stomach dropped. In the group of people one face was completely blurred out. The next image was the same, but the one after that was normal. “How close together were those taken?”

“Hmm? Oh, they’re taken in bursts so you don’t get as many blurred out images or faults. I’ve never seen this happen before though.” 

He stood without explanation and headed outside looking for his brother in law. No one near the road, that was a good sign. A creak from above pulled his attention. The old wooden sign moved in the wind, the old fixtures groaning. One side looked loose and the whole scenario set in his mind. Johnny might be a bit of a prick but he didn’t deserve to be crushed by a sign. Ianto sprinted over and tackled the distracted man to the floor, just as the sign fell, slamming into the pavement sending chunks and splinters of half rotted oak flying. As the dust settled it was clear that one of the paving stones had cracked clean in half with the force. A crowd had formed and Rhiannon fought her way through, almost in tears seeing both her husband and her brother on the ground. Her mind told her they had to be hurt and she couldn’t just stand there. She ran around the broken signage as Ianto sat up. He looked relieved.

“You… You just saved my life.” Johnny spluttered in shock, sitting up and looking at his hands. He’d dropped his phone when he’d been tackled and it now sat in a million pieces under the sign, mixed in with the dust from the destroyed paving stone. Rhiannon collapsed down, wrapping her arms around the both of them.

“Oh god, I thought you were both under there.” She sniffled, barely able to hold herself together. 

Ianto would never understand how the rest of the team did this, moments from death, thing every day. The adrenaline just made him feel ill. He looked up to where the sign had been hanging and saw a slight shadow moving above it. He grabbed his phone, as best he could with his sister refusing to loosen her grip, and took a picture. The shadow was clearer but when he looked back it was gone. There was no way he could follow it so he sent the image to Jack and put his phone back away.

 

Ianto had spent the rest of the early evening with his mum fussing over him after hearing what had happened. He’d somehow managed to avoid the subject of his love life as he really didn’t want to have that conversation at his sister's birthday party. He was relieved as the sound of his text tone rang out. Rhiannon had insisted on walking him out, still shaken from earlier events. He could see Jack leaning against the SUV.

“Well, there’s Jack.” He said.

Rhiannon took a double take. “That’s Jack?”

“Yea.”

“Bloody hell. How’d you manage that?”

He laughed lightly. “I sometimes wonder.”

“Come on, there’s got to be a catch here.”

“Stop it.”

“Boring?”

“No.”

“Bad in bed?”

“Definitely not… You asked, don’t cringe when you get an answer.”

“He’s got to be the prissy type.”

“Not really. No. He just wakes up like that.”

“I’m going to get you to choose all of my lottery numbers from now on because you are the luckiest bastard in the world… You can still tell him that if he breaks your heart I’ll kill him.”

“I will. You should get back to your party.”

“Keep in touch, ok?”

“I will.”

She smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before heading back.

Jack nodded hello. “Looks like you’ve had an interesting afternoon.”

“You could call it that.” He was still looking dusty and scuffed up. He walked round and hopped into the SUV, leaning his head back and closing his eyes, realising how loud it had been in there. 

“You have lipstick on your face.” Jack pointed out as he started the engine. 

Ianto grumbled and rubbed at his cheek.

 

The next morning Gwen found herself stuck in a traffic jam, already late for work with no idea what had caused it. She hoped that Tosh was already in as she called, hoping that she’d have an explanation through the network of cameras.

“Morning. Everything alright?” Tosh asked.

“Sort of. I’m ok but but I’m stuck in a traffic jam. It hasn’t moved for nearly half an hour. Any idea what’s going on?”

“Let me take a look. One sec.” There was a tapping sound as she tracked Gwens position and the nearest sets of cameras. She could find the line of cars that went on for miles and then finally what was causing it. A fallen tree? No. The trees looked as if, somehow, they had grown exponentially over night. There were already workmen with chainsaws trying to cut through the things. “Well, I’ve found what’s causing the block.”

“Yea? Is it a crash?”

“Nope. It’s trees.”

“A fallen tree?”

“No, trees. They’ve grown across the road. It doesn’t look like that’s the only road either.”

“That’s not… I’m going to park up and walk down. That’s not normal… How did you get into work?”

“Elise was coughing a lot last night so we came in early to make sure she was ok. It must have happened after that, or got to a point where the roads were blocked after that. I’ll send you a map with some clear routes.”

“Thanks. Is she ok? The water she coughed up looked nasty.”

“Yea. Her immune system’s pretty strong so no infection. Her lungs are just irritated. Owen thought that’s all it was but he wanted to be sure. How are you feeling? I know you didn’t breath the water but you were still in it.”

“I think I got lucky. My car didn’t though, I’m going to have to get the seats deep cleaned and I threw away my boots last night.”

“We had to throw away Elises boots too. Her clothes had to be thrown and I ended up cleaning her watch. At least the leather was waterproofed.”

“Owch, yea. I was lucky my phone was in its case. It kept most of the water out…. Right, just going to go and talk to the workmen then I’ll be with you.”

 

Ianto yawned as he sat watching the water from the field being pumped away. He’d been there for an hour and it was still going. The ground had started to absorb some of the water over night but there was still so much more to go. The pit had to be at least twenty feet deep and the sides were completely smooth, as if the earth that had once been there was simply removed from existence. He heard the pump engine cut and a man in a high vis looked over the side. Ianto wandered over to see what he was looking at. What looked like a normal, if large, horse lay partially submerged at the bottom of the pit. It was dead, three large holes cut into its side.

“I can’t believe someone already dumped an animal down there. You’re the boss here, you want it removed or just fill this in over it?” The workman asked.

“Just fill it in.” By the time they had pulled the creature out, after all the time in the water it would be too damaged for any real study so it was better to just write it off as a loss and bury it. 

“Right-o. Might take a while. Most of our lads are dealing with clearing the roads of plant life.”

“Plant life?”

“Yea. Overnight the trees grew over the roads. No idea how but it’s like they’ve made walls. It’s all around the city.”

 

Jack and Owen had gone to check on the egg but found the unit looking more like a jungle than an empty room. Ivy had grown up under the doors and the trees on the street outside towered over the surrounding buildings. The whole area looked like it had been abandoned for centuries, other than the very confused staff for the surrounding stores, some unable to even get inside their workplaces. The local wildlife were enjoying the newfound space, an entire flock of pigeons beginning to nest in the nearest tree. Owen had pried the door open, hoping the plants had stuck to the walls and it would be easier once inside. He was mistaken. Inside was packed tightly with slightly yellowed foliage.

“Any good at gardening?” Jack asked.

“You’d better be joking.” Owen replied drily, pulling at a patch of ivy that didn’t move even slightly. 

“Nope.” He held up a machete.

“If I thought I’d be gardening I would have stayed at the hub.”

“The fresh air is good for you.” He reeled back and sliced forward through the thick vines. They creaked as a few fell away.

 

Elise adjusted her respirator, feeling it was a little unnecessary but Owen had insisted. She was dealing with the twisted mass that the greenhouse had become overnight. Most of the studies that Owen had been conducting were tainted with the way the plants had mixed so she’d been given permission to just cut everything back to a workable state. One of the more active plants, that looked a lot like a smooth mouthed venus fly trap, snapped at a neighbouring branch with one of its many heads. Two others were fighting each other as it was only meant to have one per plant and had no understanding that it was attacking itself. She took the clippers and snipped off one of the heads, letting the other consume it. Maybe that would calm it down a little. The lights above had been partially covered by a creeper that had small blue flowers. The leaves were harmless but the flowers, if ingested, could cause complete paralysis within minutes. Owen still hadn’t found how to reverse the effects so that project had stalled. She snipped away a few of the stems and pulled them down, throwing them in the large bin she’d dragged with her. Stem after stem ended up in the bin but it didn’t feel like she was getting through even a portion of the work.  She stepped out and pulled off her respirator.

“Hey, Tosh?” She called.

“Yes? How does it look?”

“Green. Think anyone would mind if I used the scythe? Just to get through the bulk of it.”

“As long as you don’t slice into any of the wires or pipes.”

“I’ll be careful. I just don’t want to be stuck doing this all day.”

“That’s exactly why you were given that job.”

“I’m not spending all day in here. It’s either a scythe or I’m buying a chainsaw and those things are noisy.” 

She wandered down to the armoury and took the scythe in her gloved hand, the eye on the far end opening. She pulled her respirator back on and smiled to herself as she swung the blade down through the overgrown plants. The dead parts crumbled and fell to the floor into little piles of ash. 

 

Gwen quickly realised that the workmen had even less of an idea of what was going on than she did. Not that she could hear them too clearly over the industrial sized wood chipper working away and irate drivers beeping their horns just out of sight. She was about to leave when something caught her eye. The young workman throwing wood into the chipper looked… blurry. She ran past the site manager and hit the emergency stop button just as the young man fell forwards into the machinery. His desperate cries filled the air. The other workmen scrambled to pull the poor lad out. Luckily for him only his hand had been caught but it was a mess. The manager grabbed the first aid kit out of his van and tore through it looking for something to stop the bleeding. The thing hadn’t been checked in years and was half empty. One of the other lads pulled off his shirt and wrapped it around his friends hand. It would take ages to get an ambulance down there with how the roads had been blocked. 

“I can take him to the hospital.” She called. Waving the small group over. The young man was looking pale and terrified as his manager helped him over. At least Gwen had access to updated maps and a cheeky direct line to the hospital. She ran ahead to pull the car round to the poor man. He sat in the back with the slowly reddening shirt wrapped around his hand. He was starting to panic.

“You’ll be ok. What’s your name?”

He looked up with wide eyes. “I’m… I’m Alex. I don’t know what happened. Something hit me in the head and… Oh god…”

“Alex, listen to me, yea? You’re going to be ok. We’re going right to the hospital.”

“Sorry about your car.” He whimpered, blood dripping down onto his seat.

“Don’t worry about it. It needed a good clean anyway.”

“When we get to the hospital… Can you call my mum?”

“Of course sweetheart. Try and keep your hand up and wrapped tightly, ok?”

“O-ok… Think I’ll lose my job? I only started last week.”

“They’re not going to fire you. It wasn’t your fault.”

“My da’ would be really angry if I lost my job.” 

She looked in the rear view mirror at the man, tears running down his face. He must have barely been out of his teens and in moments like these you could tell. It was the same for anyone who got seriously hurt, they were always frightened and desperate, looking for anyone to tell them it was going to be fine even if it wasn’t. Her heart started to pound as her own face started to look blurry in the mirror. 

“Alex? Can you put your seat belt on? I don’t want you getting any more hurt.” She said as calmly as she could, her knuckles turning white with her grip on the steering wheel. 

He clumsily clicked the belt into place. “Sorry. Thank you for helping me.”

“I’m happy to help.” 

She felt a sharp tug on the steering wheel but managed to keep it steady, her passenger barely noticing. She reached sharply round and felt scales in empty air. Whatever it was had a solid form even if she couldn’t see it. That was a start. She brought her elbow down on it as hard as she could, feeling it connect. For a second she saw a chameleon like eye looking up at her before it faded into nothing again. Alex was looking out of the window with bleary eyes. 

“Try and stay awake, yea?” She said as if she wasn’t actively fighting an alien for control of the car.

“Yea… I’m trying… I’m just a bit dizzy…”

“We’re nearly there. The doctors’ll fix you right up.”

“... I always hated going to the doctors.”

“Don’t we all?” She smiled sympathetically. She could feel that the creature was behind her and was reaching round to try and tug at the wheel. Alex was on the passenger side so when Gwen slowed at a red light she pulled the bar that allowed her seat to move and pushed it back as far as it would go, trapping the invisible creature between the seats. It was very uncomfortable to drive but it was better than being run off the road. She could feel the thing trying to wriggle free as she sped into the hospital car park. She could see a group of medics waiting with a wheelchair at the front. She tried not to brake too hard and stopped in front of them. Alex was still conscious as he was wheeled in, still clutching the crimson fabric around what had been his hand. Gwen moved the car into a space and jumped out, locking it behind her. She had the thing trapped.

 

The egg was finally visible through the foliage, the membrane being stretched slightly from the inside by what looked like wings. The creature had grown extremely quickly. An eye opened at the top of one wing and focused on Owen. It turned inside, revealing a face that could almost pass for human if it weren’t for the gold eyes and pointed teeth. It looked gaunt but not malnourished and didn’t seem to be in any distress. More curious. 

“Uhh… Hi?” Said Owen. Usually baby creatures were babies but this one was fully grown.

The creature mimicked him but its voice , even muffled, sounded like thousands of people talking at once. “Hi?”

Jack watched on, having never seen a being the same as this before. “What are you?”

“Are you? What uhh.” It looked as if it was in deep thought. “I...Seraph… I am Seraph.”

“You understand English?” 

“Understand all. I am hive mind. Lived millions years.” It pressed a hand against the membrane of the egg, popping it like a bubble. It stretched all of its wings as best it could in the relatively small space. It stood at at least eight feet tall and stood like a human, a pale, genderless, human. “Not been here for long time.” Its voice was almost painful to listen to.

“What are you here for?”

“I can not hatch young on my planet. I find safe planets. Hatch there. Away from war with Daemon. Now can go home… Can hatch more here?”

“That would not be a good idea. You were lucky this time that we were the ones taking care of the egg. It’s not safe for you here.”

The seraph looked sad. “Still not safe. I mean no harm. Am apologise.” It bowed, pulling in its wings. 

Owen looked between them. “Can you get home?”

“Yes. Can move through broken space.”

“The rift?”

“Rift. Gap. Space. Yes. Can navigate, but not teach how.”

Jack smiled. “Worth a shot. Check back again in a few hundred years.”

“Many thanks. I give gift of small knowledge. A being sleep long under the sea. Will wake soon. Is hunger.”

“Can you give us any more details?”

“Is old. Old like I. All I know.”

“Some warning’s better than none.”

“Be safe human. Seraph must go.” 

A light filled the room, a wave of heat rolling through and electricity crackling in the air. When it subsided the seraph was gone. Owen rubbed his eyes.

“Did we just see an angel hatch?”

 

Gwen sighed as her car was loaded onto the tow truck. Between the damage it had already taken and the way the chameleon thing had diced up the seats in a rage it would take so much to fix she’d be better off looking for a new one. She climbed up into the passenger seat of the truck.

Ianto gave a sympathetic look. “At least you’re in one piece.”

“Yea… I don’t think my insurance covers acts of intergalactic chameleon bugs.”

“I’m sure I could find the budget to help you out, being as it was a work incident.”

“Yea?”

“Yes. I’m not sure how we’re going to get it out of the car first though.”

“I think it’s given up trying to camouflage itself so not as hard as you’d think. It looks like a praying mantis. If it wasn’t killing people it would be rather pretty.”

          

That night Jack stood atop the tallest building he could, looking out across the bay with the lens over his eye. In the distance something huge glowed red with life.


End file.
